By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) will soon be upgraded to the league of varsities in Nigeria, the minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa has revealed.
According to the Minister, President Bola Tinubu granted the approval of the conversion of the college of technology to a university, and that plans are ongoing to complete the conversion process.
“The rector said some minutes ago that the staff, students, and management of the college have been praying and fasting that it be converted to a university.”
“Somehow, you have kind of ambushed me, but I must let you know that when I discussed the issue with President Bola Tinubu, he did not waste time in approving. I am just waiting for the memo and other necessary protocols from the appropriate quarters,” he said.
He acknowledged the academic contributions the institution offers to the country, extolling the Tinubu administration’s efforts to improve the education ecosystem.
“This school is a legacy, and with over 200 staff members holding doctorate degrees in various fields, it is more than ready and fit to become a university. All the credit for this should go to the president, who loves education and is concerned about giving the best to the youths who are our future leaders,” he said.
He added that the fulcrum of the Tinubu’s administration on improving the technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship education is geared towards stemming Japa Syndrome.
“We are not taking the issue of artificial intelligence, robotics, coding, and others with levity. We know that if our youths are good at those things, they can be in Nigeria and be working for firms in many parts of the world, and they will be earning foreign exchange. That will help stem this Japa of a thing, where people would travel abroad to do menial jobs,” he stated.
Alausa, who inaugurated some projects, expressed satisfaction with the maintenance culture of the management.
“I commend you for pursuing excellence, and we need innovation and investments in technology for development, and I can assure you that the federal government would back you up,” he added.
Earlier, the institution’s rector, Dr Ibrahim Abdul, stressed the need for an upgrade from a polytechnic to an university, saying that over 200 polytechnic staff possess PhD.
“While we are praying that we become a university, we don’t want to become just one of those universities.
“We want to be a university of technical and vocational education that would bring innovation and also solve societal problems and challenges and contribute greatly to the advancement of our dear country. We have the manpower, and we just need the support of the government in this regard,” he said.
